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UPDATED: Priests and thousands of other Georgians broke through police barricades and forced gay rights activists to flee.

Cutting short their rally to mark the international day against homophobia.

Gay rights rally attacked in Georgia, holding banners saying “Stop Homosexual Propaganda in Georgia!” and “Not in our city!”, the demonstrators swarmed into a square in central Tbilisi where about 50 Georgians were rallying in support of gay rights. Police escorted the gay rights supporters onto buses and drove them away to avoid violence.

Several people, including some journalists, received minor injuries at Gay rights rally, Georgian media said.

“We won’t allow these sick people to hold gay parades in our country,” said Zhuzhuna Tavadze, brandishing a bunch of nettles and adding that she was ready to fight.

“It’s against our traditions and our morals.”

Later in the evening, rowdy crowds took to the streets and started shouting at people they thought might be homosexual.

Gay rights activists said they were disappointed. “These people (gay rights demonstrators)should have the right to express their views and to hold demonstrations,” said Nino Bolkvadze, a lawyer of the Identity non-governmental organisation.

On the other side of Gay rights rally, Taiwan rallies against ruling party over gay marriage. Hundreds of people took to Taipei’s streets to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage Saturday, throwing water balloons at the headquarters of the ruling party they believe is blocking a proposed amendment to the law.

The Gay rights rally, bolstered by a landmark US ruling on gay unions, was aimed at spurring progress on a gay marriage bill which passed its first reading in parliament in October 2013 but has since been on ice.

In keeping with Taiwan’s parliamentary system, the bill would have to start anew if it fails to pass its third reading before February 2016, the end of the current legislative session.

“If this bill cannot get the approval in the next few months, then all our previous efforts would vanish. You wouldn’t be happy with that, would you?” shouted activist Hsu Hsi-wen, speaking through a loudspeaker from atop a truck to around 600 people gathered outside the headquarters of the Kuomintang (KMT) party.

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